Traditional strength and conditioning programs for the lower and upper body usually concentrate upon the development of large mule groups. For example, lower body exercise protocols typically focus on the gluteus, quadricep and hamstring muscles. By the same token, upper body exercise commonly targets large muscles such as the pectorals, latissiums dorsi and deltoids. Conventional exercise equipment and techniques tend to overlook smaller intrinsic muscle groups. These include, for example, the gracilis, gluteus minimus, adductor complex, iliacus, piriformis and other intrinsic muscles that contribute to the stability of the hip complex during regular and athletic movement. Strengthening these muscles can significantly improve athletic performance and help to reduce lower body injury. Likewise, developing and strengthening the intrinsic muscles of the upper body, such as the infraspinatus, teres minor and supraspinatus, helps to significantly strengthen the overall shoulder complex and reduces shoulder injuries of the type commonly experienced by both professional and amateur athletes. Because the intrinsic muscle groups of both the lower and upper bodies are frequently overlooked and not adequately developed, sports injuries continue to proliferate and linger to an unnecessarily great degree. Athletic performance is thereby adversely affected. Moreover, physical therapy and rehabilitation tend to be complicated and prolonged.
Although various exercise techniques and devices have been developed for conditioning specific intrinsic muscles, no single machine or exercise equipment is available for effectively strengthening a wide variety of virtually alt intrinsic muscle groups in both the upper and lower body. By the same token, there is no known piece of exercise equipment dedicated to developing small intrinsic muscle groups and suited for use as both a strength and conditioning tool to improve athletic performance and a rehabilitation and physical therapy tool to rehabilitate injuries. A great need exists for an apparatus exhibiting such versatility.